Preen by Thornton Bregazzi

The Preen show this morning opened on a familiar note: an all-white ensemble, which featured a digital placement print fusing cuboid forms and florals. That look augured a collection that leaned hard on the Preen signatures. And though there were a lot of fine pieces here, and a handful of compelling ideas, you never got the sense that Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi were advancing their brand vocabulary enough, or working it with enough focus, to overcome a feeling of seen-this-beforeness. That said, this was one of those outings with a might-have-been aspect to it; watching the foil silk floral anoraks and black and white rose-print dresses pass down the runway was like seeing markers of an odder and more relevant collection that could have emerged if those themes had been emphasized. Ditto the shiny pink looks in cellophane nylon, and the asymmetric dresses with buckled closures. As noted, there were good looks elsewhere, but these were the ones that found Thornton and Bregazzi staking out new territory.